ap~n to be re14ti,ely cost-iuffecti,e.' From a total of 2675 prescriptions for antihypertensives written for 1858 patients with mild to moderate hypertension, the average annual cost of treating hypertension was estimated to be NZ$430 (84% of which was drug costs alone). Gain in life expectancy ranged from 2.3 to 11.4 months for men and from 1.4 to 7.6 months in women. Antihypertensive therapy increased 'quality-adjusted life years' by 1.8-11.5 months in men and by 2.5-11.3 months for women. Therapy cost was estimated to be $30 200-188 000 per 'quality-adjusted life year' for men and $62000-547700 per 'quality-adjusted life year' for women.